Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a driver airbag structure capable of preventing a backslap phenomenon, in which an airbag hits a face of a driver, by decreasing a degree of deployment of the airbag in a direction directly toward a front side of the driver, and increasing a degree of deployment of the airbag in a horizontal direction when the driver airbag is deployed.
Discussion of the Background
In general, various safety devices are provided in a vehicle for the safety of occupants in the vehicle. Among the safety devices of the vehicle, a driver airbag (“DAB”) protects a driver from impact at the time of a vehicle collision. The airbag includes a front panel, a rear panel, and an inflator wrap that is installed in the front panel and the rear panel. The airbag inflator wrap is fixed only by sewing it to the rear panel. The inflator wrap serves to protect the front panel. The inflator wrap prevents damage, such as a pinhole, that may be formed when small and fine ash and impurities discharged from an inflator come into direct contact with the front panel. Even though the ash and impurities discharged from the inflator primarily come into contact with the inflator wrap, and then only secondarily come into contact with the front panel, the temperature and energy thereof are decreased while primarily coming into contact with the inflator wrap, such that there is no damage to the front panel.
However, in the driver airbag disclosed in related art Korean Patent No. 10-0286983, the inflator wrap serves only to protect the front panel, and does not serve to guide the gas that is supplied into the airbag to deploy the airbag. As a result, when the driver airbag is deployed excessively forward, that is, in a direction directly toward the driver, the driver may be injured as a result of a backslap phenomenon in which the airbag hits a face of the driver.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.